The director of the UN World Food Program David Beazley said that protests, riots and famine may occur in dozens of countries, as food prices are rising around the world, The Guardian reports.

His remarks came during a speech in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

He said the world is facing frightening shortages that could destabilize countries that depend on wheat exports from Ukraine and Russia.

“Even before the Ukraine crisis, we were facing an unprecedented global food crisis because of Covid and fuel price increases,” said Beasley. “Then, we thought it couldn’t get any worse, but this war has been devastating.”

According to the newspaper, Ukraine annually grows enough food to feed 400 million people. The country produces 42 percent of the world's sunflower oil, 16 percent of corn and 9 percent of wheat. Somalia imports wheat from Ukraine and Russia, while Egypt receives 80% of its grain from these two countries.

Because of the coronavirus, the climate crisis and the crisis in Ukraine, the number of people suffering from hunger has risen from 650 million to 810 million in the past five years, Beasley said.